French Polynesia
Tahiti in May
🌦️ Shoulder (showers)Warm, humid and some showers.
🎒 Pack: light, breathable clothes & sunscreen · quick-dry fabrics · sunglasses & hat
Why May scores 8.6What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort7.6
- ✓Warm (30°C highs / 23°C lows)
- !Very humid/sticky (dew point 23°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~92 mm rain)
- Air quality10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~3 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline8.0
- ·Normal precautions
| May | Aug | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.6 Excellent | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 30° / 23° | 28° / 21° |
| Rain | 92 mm | 48 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 23° | dew pt 21° |
| PM2.5 | 3 µg/m³ | 4 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Tahiti weather-station normals. Rainfall: Tahiti weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Pentecost Monday 15–17 May · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Labor Day (1 May) · Ascension Day (6 May) · Victory Day (8 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore TahitiEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyThe largest island of French Polynesia, a mountainous volcanic island with black-sand beaches and the gateway to Moorea and Bora Bora.
No major events on our calendar for May.
Coming up later
Heiva i TahitiDate variesUsually late June to mid-July
The main festival of Polynesian dance, song and traditional sports competitions.
Why go: Dance competition evenings need tickets and the best seats sell out.
Where: To'ata Square, Papeete
Hawaiki Nui Va'aDate variesUsually late October or early November
A major three-day outrigger canoe race between the Leeward Islands.
Why go: It is a big local event and inter-island flights fill up.
Where: Between Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora
Papeete Market (Marché de Papeete)
The central covered market selling produce, fish, flowers, pareos and crafts.
💡 Go early, especially on Sunday mornings when it is busiest.
Teahupo'o
A village on Tahiti Iti known for one of the world's most powerful reef waves, used as the Paris 2024 Olympic surfing venue.
💡 The biggest swells usually arrive in the southern winter, roughly May to September.
Point Venus
A black-sand beach and lighthouse where Captain Cook observed the transit of Venus in 1769.
Arahoho Blowhole and Faarumai Waterfalls
A coastal blowhole and a group of waterfalls a short walk inland on the north-east coast.
Moorea
A neighbouring island with jagged peaks and lagoons, a short ferry ride from Papeete.
Whale watching
Humpback whales visit Tahiti's waters to breed and calve.
💡 Use licensed operators, as there are strict approach rules.
Poisson cru
Raw fish marinated in lime and mixed with coconut milk and vegetables, the national dish.
💡 Roulottes (food trucks) and restaurants
Roulottes
Evening food trucks serving poisson cru, Chinese-Tahitian dishes and crêpes.
💡 Place Vai'ete on the Papeete waterfront
Chao mein
A local Chinese-Tahitian noodle dish reflecting the island's Chinese community.
💡 Roulottes and snack bars
Po'e
A sweet pudding of fruit such as banana or papaya with starch and coconut milk.
💡 Papeete Market
Tahitian black pearls
Cultured pearls from Polynesian black-lip oysters.
💡 Licensed pearl shops in Papeete
Monoi oil
Coconut oil infused with tiare flowers, used on skin and hair.
💡 Papeete Market and pharmacies
Pareo
A printed wrap cloth worn as a skirt or dress.
💡 Papeete Market
Tahitian vanilla
Vanilla pods grown mostly on the island of Taha'a.
💡 Papeete Market
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
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